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November 22, 2009
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Home > 2008 > August (Web-Only)Christianity Today, August (Web-Only), 2008  |   |  
Dobson and the God-o-Meter
Beliefnet editor Dan Gilgoff on the Religious Right's continuing role in this election.



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Focus on the Family founder James Dobson is keeping religion-and-politics observers on their toes this election. Back in February, Dobson told his radio listeners that he would not vote for Sen. John McCain, citing McCain's support of embryonic stem-cell research, among other issues. In June, he began criticizing Sen. Barack Obama's interpretation of the Bible. Then, in late July, Dobson began warming up to McCain's candidacy.

Beliefnet politics editor Dan Gilgoff profiled Dobson's political influence in his book The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War. Gilgoff has been covering Dobson's moves and other religion-in-politics stories on his blog, God-o-Meter. Some of his coverage is also cross-posted on CT's politics blog.

Where did the idea for your book on Dobson come from?

This story kind of fell into my lap. After the 2004 election, the media was in a real frenzy as to how to capture the "values voters" who apparently tipped the election to George Bush. I got an assignment to identify and profile the most prominent evangelical, which brought me to Focus on the Family. After a few days of romping around there, I finally was able to secure an interview with James Dobson.

How did you decide to profile Dobson?

I came up with James Dobson initially by talking to some scholars and activists in the evangelical world. In going out to Colorado Springs and doing my initial profile, I got these glimmers of Focus of the Family being the headquarters of this vast machine. There was the untold story of James Dobson ruling over this national empire.

How does he compare to figures such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson?

Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson were both evangelical activists first and foremost. James Dobson has always resisted this active role and this high visibility role in politics, because then he would be seen [more] as a political figure than as a family advice-giver. Evangelicals felt that this trusted family adviser was really involved in the intimate details of their lives. His mailing list was bigger than Falwell's or Robertson's. I think he gained more power than either of those two. Someone like Rick Warren is arguably more influential culturally, [but] he isn't as involved in domestic policy so he isn't comparable. The media still cite the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition as the main organizing vehicles for the Christian Right, but neither of them really exist.

Why do you think Dobson finally warmed up to McCain?

I think this might be a way to not backpedal on his word. He can get out there and bash Obama. There's a lot of consternation in the Christian Right because Obama is reaching out to their traditional constituency. There are a lot of Christian Right leaders who see it as a turning point. This might be an attempt to push back on some of that.

Do you see signs that evangelicals are moving away from the Republican Party?

Bush had a special connection to evangelicals and was able to get record numbers of them. The polls are showing that McCain is getting support in the high 60s. The polls are not showing that much has shifted. If it doesn't change, the Democrats at a national level might just have to kiss that vote goodbye.

Even though the Denver meeting [where several evangelical leaders endorsed McCain] might've been a turning point for McCain, he wasn't there, and there didn't seem to be anyone from his campaign. [Liberty Counsel founder and meeting organizer] Mat Staver told me that the meeting happened in spite of the campaign. On one hand, McCain is the lesser of two evils. Evangelicals want to be unified in the future so they don't end up with a candidate like him. It was a lot more practical than it was born of a turnabout by the campaign to take the movement seriously.

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 18 comments.See all comments
Keith   Posted: August 07, 2008 5:42 AM
The dirty little secret of Evangelicals is race and class. This was the case as far back as the Ronald Reagan days. Reagan was no more a Christian as the Pope is Jewish. Yet, Evangelicals chose him over a dedicated, Sunday School teaching Jimmy Carter. Lets face it, White Evangelicals can sing "Oh, How I Love Jesus" and at the same time hate an African American and loathe a poor person. They can express their right to life belief and at the same time, salivate at the prospect of the death penalty. Call it what it is. Stop being fake! And know that God is not pleased!

A McClain   Posted: August 06, 2008 2:30 PM
To N Eckert: "obama purports to be a Christian but doesn't believe the basics of Christianity." Since when did John McCain believe the basics of Christianity! His lifestyle doesn't show what he mouthes! I believe in Jesus Christ first, in ALL things, and ALWAYS before family and everything else in all creation! Therefore i'm voting for Barack Obama for President, Obama isn't a perfect candidate but, he is more honorable and mature in conducting his campaign, and i agree with him on a majority of issues. First of all im DEFINITELY PRO-LIFE! I am outraged by SOME evangelicals as to the use of the terms of homosexuality and pro-life issues as a coverup of the misdeeds of themselves,their friends, and family members. GOD is not a Democrat, but he is NOT a Republican either!

John   Posted: August 04, 2008 2:10 PM
The problem in this country is our system (as opposed to a parlimentary system) lends itself to two-party elections, so you generally have to chose the Democrat or the Republican. The Democratic Party has shown much more of an observance of the Bible's suggestions to take care of "the least of these" and feed hungry and tend to sick people. The Republican record on social justice is horrific, and John McCain seems aching for more war. However, the Republicans tend to be better on morality issues like abortion, pervasive sexuality, gambling, and marriage. So neither party is perfect. On balance Obama is the better choice this time around, but it's a close call.

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